“Rahul Gandhi, Other Opposition Leaders Briefly Detained During Major Protest Over Alleged Voter Roll Manipulation”
IIE DIGITAL DESK : The Hundreds of opposition lawmakers gathered in a rare demonstration, marching from Parliament to the Election Commission’s offices, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and the poll body of orchestrating electoral malpractice by manipulating voter lists. Their demands to submit a memorandum were thwarted by police barricades blocking their path, culminating in the brief detention of key figures, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and members of the INDIA bloc.
The protest—joining voices from Congress, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Trinamool Congress, DMK, RJD, and other parties—was triggered by the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls in Bihar ahead of upcoming state elections. Activists warned that onerous documentation requirements could disenfranchise marginalized groups, particularly the poor and religious minorities.
Rahul Gandhi asserted during the protest, “This fight is not political. This fight is to save the constitution,” calling for a “clean, pure voters' list” . The opposition’s emotions ran high as some MPs clambered over barricades while chanting slogans accusing authorities of orchestrating “vote theft”. Eventually detained in buses, the leaders were released later the same day, though the protest had already disrupted parliamentary proceedings.
The Election Commission and the ruling BJP dismissed the charges, asserting that the revision was a routine, necessary cleanup—aimed at removing deceased or relocated individuals from rolls and thwarting fraudulent or foreign entries. They reiterated that all list changes were communicated to political parties and that procedural safeguards were in place . In contrast, the BJP accused the opposition of attempting to foment chaos, describing their tactics as a bid to foster “anarchy” .
The episode has only deepened political fissures. In Hyderabad, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy declared the detentions a blatant attack on democracy, stating that jails cannot suppress Gandhi’s resolve. State Congress leaders echoed his remarks, reaffirming their commitment to uphold electoral fairness and constitutional values . Simultaneously, former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda criticized the Election Commission, calling it complicit in suppressing protest and turning a blind eye to alleged irregularities in voter rolls. He also advocated for transitioning from electronic voting to ballot papers, citing it as a trusted method in democracies like the U.S. and Germany.
The protest reflects mounting distrust in the democratic process, particularly over the integrity of voter registration ahead of pivotal state elections. With opposition leaders confronting detention and airwaves filled with debate, the incident has stirred national discourse on electoral accountability, citizen disenfranchisement, and institutional transparency.
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